Isn’t it unusual for a law firm to ask the attorney to take time because the firm is slow?
Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at
10:43 pm
This is the first firm I have worked for a firm where this is happening. buying online drugs Business is slow so they are having two attorneys take their vacations (without them requesting it). I found it kind of odd. Any thoughts on this?
Right now the business of law is slow all over. It is generally slow during summer and the law schools keep graduating more and more attorneys to compete for a limited number of cases. At the same time costs to run a busines, any business, is rising. Plus add to that a country where attorneys are ridiculed just for their profession and the common person will do anything, including trying to be his/her own Perry Mason, to keep from hiring an attorney. When business is down it is the small & medium sized firms who feel these problems first — (whole other answer as to why).
While I have never heard of asking attorneys to take some time off, it is really a good idea. In my firm I do things the reverse way, I only hire attorneys on a temp basis when the number of cases dictate. I have represented small factories who routinely close the plant or cut back to 4 day weeks when their business is slow. Actually doing the same for a law firm is not a bad idea, because law is a business and you need to deal with business problems (like slow downs).
Not unusual at all. Makes good sense.
It happens. Things really shouldn’t be slow at a law firm. Take a proactive approach to the situation. Go and try to find new clients. Attend events, anything that may generate more work for the firm. It may be a company policy to have some attorneys go on ’stand-by’ until things pick up. It’s unusual, but it happens.
I am not an attorney but any time our business requires a vacation it is usually to avoid a sticky situation hoping that the vacation will iron out the problem. The way you stated it a lack of business but you never know what is actually going on.
But on the business side every person in your firm or any business for that matter is on some level an independent sales agent. If the business is not there you have to find it and fight for it because if you do not someone else will.